Hood fastener



1933- M. F. c. HEITMAN 1,922,242

HOOD FASTENER Filed Feb. 10. 1931 INVENTOR l h f, I

ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE j l noon FASTENER Max F. C. Hei tman, Louisville, Ky., assignor to The Bade-Cummins Mfg. Company, .ville, Ky., a Corporation of Delaware Louis- Application February 10, 1931. Serial No. 514,81 4 Claims. (oi 292--9s) The present invention pertains to a novel fastener for the hoods of automotivevehicles. Although described and claimed in connection with automobile hoods,the invention is to be understood as being useful as a fastener in otherrelations Where a swinging closure member. is to be latched and unlatched, and the term hood as i 2 a simple device of thisflcharacter, constructed of a comparativelysmall number of inexpensive parts and operating in a positive, eifective and reliable manner.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description andin the accompanying drawingin whichi Figure 1 is a vertical section taken transversely through aportion. of an automobile hood and showing the novel fastener in elevation and in looking position;

in unlatched position; l

Fig) 3 is an elevation ofvthe fastener at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig-4 is a plan section on theline 4-4 of Fig. 3; and i r i Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the latch rod. Reference to these views will now be had by use of like characters which are employed to designate the corresponding parts throughout.

In Figure 1 is illustrated a fixed frame member 1 of an automobile body, such as one of the sills extending lengthwise of the chassis.

in f Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the fastener The outer edge of the member 1 is engaged by the lower gated latch rod 7 in a substantially vertical direction or parallel to a strict cross sectional area of the hood member 2. The lower end of the rod is hooked at 8 for engagement with a latch coupling member or pin'9 fixed relatively to the 3 frame. member 1 in any suitable manner, as by means of anangular bracket 10 secured to the frame and carrying the pin 9 as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. l

A slide 11 ismounted on the rod 7 and passes through a slot 12 in the upper stop flange 4 as illustrated in Fig.- .4. The slidehas upper and lower flanges 13 and 14 respectively, disposed respectively above and below the fiange.4. The lower flange 14 is extended re-entrantly towards the latch rod? or in a somewhat. channel for mation, defining a pocket 15 opening towards the member 2 and bounded at its bottom by a piece 16 lying parallel to the flange 14.. The upper end of the rod '7 is provided with a spring stop 17 such as a cotter pin; A coil spring 18 surrounds the rod between the pin and the flange 13; hearing against these parts. Inthernovement of the slide by the means presently .tobe describedythe engagement of the flange 13 with the flange 4 determines the lower limit. At the same time, the flange 15 engages the flange 5, so that one of the stop flanges 4 and 5 may be eliminated as already stated. S

The hood member 2 and the bracket 3 are formed with coincidental slots 19, and a rocket memberpassing through the hood is journalled at the slots by means of suitable bearings20. The rocker member consists of an exterior finger piece or operating member 21 and an inner portion 22 which acts on the slide 11 and in turn on the latch rod 7. The portion 22 is engageable Withthe lower flange 14 and is thus adapted to mitted through the spring 18 to the latch rod -'7 to'raise the latter. The parts are so dimensioned and positioned that the hook 8 engages the coupling 9 beforethe portion 22 reaches its extreme 1 upper position. Further raising of this portion spring thus maintains the rocker member in the position shown in Fig. 1 and must be overcome L i in order to change the position of the rocker member and to uncouple the latch rod from the member 9.

This pressure is overcome obviously by lifting the finger piece 21 with at least an equal pres sure. When the depression 23 is moved away from the angle defined by the flange 14 and vertical portion of the slide 11, the spring 18 operates and moves the slide downwardly on the rod 7, while the inner end of the rocker member is received in the pocket 15. The latch rod may drop by gravity to the released position shown in Fig. 2, but on the other hand such a drop may be retarded by the friction of the rod and slide in the bracket 3. In order to provide for a positive downward movement of the rod 7, the latter is formed with a stop member or lug 24 engageable by the slide on downward movement of the latter and positioned preferably beneath the flange 14. In the latter part of the downward movement of the inner portion oft he rocker member, this portion engages the piece 16 whereupon the slide is positively moved downwardly into engagement with the stop 25, after which the slide and the latch bar move together until reaching the position shown in Fig. 2 where the latch is released and the slide is stopped by the flanges 4 and 5. The final downward movement of the inner portion 22 is performed, if necessary, by lifting the finger piece 21; and a continued upward pull on the finger piece fails to swing the rocker member further but rather raises the hood member 2. Thus, a continued upward pull on the finger piece 21 first disengages the latch and then raises the hood. In the lifting or rock-'- ing movement of the latch rod by downward pressure on the finger piece 2l,the member 9 is engaged by an intermediate point of a slope 26 formed on the hook and extending inwardly and upwardly from the hood member 2. The

- pressure of this surface against the member 9 tends to draw the hood member 2 inwardly against the frame member 1.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent'that various alterations in the:-details .of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as .indicated by the appended claims. 7

What I claim is:-

r l. A hood fastener comprising a guidebracket adapted for attachment to' a hood, a latch rod sli'dable therein, a slide on said rod and'adapted to engage upon said bracket, stop means on said rod above said slide, a spring surrounding said rod and bearing against said slide and stop means, a rocker member adapted for pivotal attachment to the hood and to extendinwardly and outwardly thereof, said member engaging said slide and being adapted to raise the same and to raise said rod through said spring,a fixed coupling member engageable by said latch bar on raising of said slide, whereby continued raising of the slide compresses said spring, and con necting means between said rocker member and slide for lowering the latter.

2. A hood fastener comprising a guide bracket adapted for attachment to a hood, a latch rod slidable therein, a slide on said rod and adapted to engage upon said bracket, stop means on said rod above said slide, a spring surrounding said rod and bearing against said slide and stop means, a rocker member adapted for pivotal attachment to the hood and to extend inwardly and outwardly thereof, said member engaging said slide and being adapted to raise the same and to raise said rod through said spring, a fixed coupling member engageable by said latch bar on raising of said slide, whereby continued raising of the slide compresses said spring, stop means on said rod below said slide and engageable thereby, and connecting means between said rocker member and slide for lowering the latter.

3. A hood fastener comprising a guide bracket adapted for attachment to a hood, a latch rod slidable therein, a slide on said rod and adapted to engage upon said bracket, stop ineans on said rod above said slide, a spring surrounding said rod and bearing against said slide and stop means, a rocker me iber adapted for pivotal attachment to the hood and to extend inwardly and outwardly thereof, said member engaging said slide and being adapted to the same and to raise rod through said spring, a fixed coupling member engageable by said latch bar on raising of said slide, whereby continued raising of the slide compresses said spring, means whereby the pressure of the compressed spring maintains the slide-engaging portion of said rocker member in its highest position, and connecting means between said rocker member and slide for lowering the latter.

4. A hood fastener comprising a guide bracket adapted for attachment to a hood, a latch rod slidable therein, a slide on said rod and adapted to engage upon said bracket, stop means on said rod abovesaid slide, a spring surrounding said rod and bearing against said slide and stop means, a rocker member adapted for pivotal attachment to the hood and to extend inwardly and outwardly thereof, said member engaging said slide and being adapted to raise the same and to raise said rod through said spring, a fixed coupling member engageable by said latch bar on raising of said slide,'whereby continued raising of the slide compresses said spring, means whereby the pressure of the compressed spring maintains the slide-engaging portion of said rocker member in its highest position, stop means on said rod below said slide and engageable thereby, and connecting means between saidrocker member and slide for lowering the latter.

- MAX F. C. HEITMAN 

